Street-railway switch



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Modem J. H.- WILLIAMS. STREET' RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Oct'. 22, 1889.

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WILLIAMS. n

STREET RAILWAY SWITGH.

Patented Oct. 22, 1389.

f `1jU-ixnTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. WILLIAMS, OF BOSTON,- ASSIGNOR OF' TWO-THIRDS TO BENJAMINF.,BARNARD, OF WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICA'ION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 413,593, dated October22, 1889.

Application filed February 11, 18,89. VSerial NQ.'299,399' (No model.)

Tc @ZZ whom it may concern: A B e it known that I, JOHN H. WILLIAMS, of

Boston, in the county of Suiolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Railway Switches,of which the following is a specifiv cation.

' This invention relates torailway-switches or devices which determineat a given point which of two tracks a car shall take; and it relatesparticularly to switches for streetrailway tracks adapted to be operatedor shifted by the act of the driver on an approaching car to connect thebranch or side track with the portion of the main track on which the.car is running; and it is animprovement on the invention described inmy Aapplication for Letters Patent for an improveinent in street-railwayswitches filed December 22, 1888, Serial No. 294,410.

The invention consists in a circular table or rotary switch located atthe junction of I one f the branch rails with one of the maintrackrails, said table having a track-section which is adapted to make themaintrack rail continuous when the table is turned to one position andto connect the main-track rail with the branch rail when the table isturned to another position, asgl will now proceed to describe. 1

Of the accompanying drawings,forminga part of this specification, Figure1 represents a top view of a portion of one of the vmaintrack rails, abranch rail connected therewith, and the rotary table, the latter beingin position to connect the main-track rail with the branch rail. Fig. 3represents a section on line of Fig. 1. Fig. 2.1epresents a similarsection, certain parts shown in Fig. 3 being omitted. Fig. 4 representsa top view showing both of the main-track rails and the two branchrails; also, the rotary table and certain appli ances hereinafterdescribed for operating the table. Fig. 5 represents a top view showingthe switch in its normal position.

The same letters of reference. indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

the main track of a street-railway, and b and b 5o represent the branchor side-track rails.

c represents a circular table or rotary side rail h with the main-trackrail 0L. Said table or switch is attached to a vertical pivot or shaftCZ, which is journaled to rotate in' a socket or bearing formed in thebed or Stringer c under the track. On the upper surface of the table orswitch are formed a curved-rail section or tread g, a pointed-railsection or tread g', and the guard-rail section h, as shown in Figs. 1and 4. When the table or switch is turned to the position indicated inFig. 5 and by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the pointed-rail section g forms acontinuation of the tread 2. and guidingedge 3 of the main-track rail,and the guard-section 7i forms a continuation of the guard-flange 4 ofthe main-track rail, so that acar approaching in the Vdirectionindicated by the arrow in Figs. 1, 4, and 5 will continue on the maintrack. When the table is turned to the position shown in full lines inFigs. 1 and 4, the curved section g connects the main-track rail withthe branch rail b, one side of the pointed section g at the same timeconstituting a curved or diagonal extension of the guard-fiange 4, sothat a car approaching in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1will be guided onto the branch rail b'.

The pivoted table may be rotated to change it from one of the describedpositions to the other by any suitable means.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 4 I have indicated the devices which are shown in myabove-mentioned application for moving the pivoted switchrail Ffor whichthe circular table or switch c is a substitute, said appliances being adrum or pulley j on the shaft d and a cord or chain 7c, connecting saiddrum with a horizontal drum m, journaled in bearings in a vault orchamber under the track at4 a suitable distance from the table or switchc, and a rod 7c', eccentrically connected to said drum m and extendingupwardly through the cover of said chamber, its upper end being betweenthe main rails ct a and projecting suiiciently above the pavement toenable it to be depressed by contact with a movable attachment 011 thecar approaching the table c. Said attachment maybe a standard adapted toslide in a guide 10o on the front platform of the car and adapted to bedepressed by the drivers foot. Said standard has a roller on its lowerend, which, when the standard is depressed, comes in contact with theprojecting end of the rod k', thereby depressing said rod and causing itto partly rotate the horizontal drum m. The motion thus imparted to saiddrum is communicated through the chain 7c to the drum j, which isthereby rotated with the shaft d and table or switch c. The rotationthus imparted turns the switch to the position shown in full lines inFigs. l and 4. The standard on the car is normally raised by a spring,so that it will not strike the rod 7o unless depressed by the driver.

Under ordinary conditions and without a special act on the part of thedriver the switch c will stand inl the position shown in dotted lines inFig. l, so that the main track will be normally continuous.

In case the switch c has been turned as above described it is restoredto its normal position by means similar to those described in myabove-named application for restoring the switch-rail-viz., a seconddrum journ aled in a chamber located farther from the table c than thedrum m, said second drum having a rod which extends upwardly through aslot in the main track-rail a., and is arranged to be depressed by oneof the wheels of the car approaching the switch. The second drum, whichis not shown in the drawings, is connected by a cord or chain r with thedrum m, said chain being so wound as to communicate to the table c bythe partial rotation of the second drum a motion opposite to thatproduced by the rotation of the drum m, said motion turning the table toits normal position and making the main rail continuous. My invention isnot limited, however, to the described means for operating the rotaryswitch c, and said switch may be operated by any suitable means ormechanism without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The periphery of the switch c is provided with projections or stops ss', which abut against the main rail t' and limit the rotating movementsof the switch in both directions.

To prevent clogging ofthe switch c by ice, stones, or dirt accumulatingunder it, I provide said switch with a downwardly-projecting lip orflange 5 at its margin and a downwardly-projecting boss 6 at its center.Said lip and boss bear on a fixed plate S, which is provided with seatsfor said lip and boss, and is formed so that it does not come in contactwith any other portions of the switch. The flange 5 and boss 6 of therotary switch fit the seats on the plate 8 so closely that water cannotget between the plate and switch.

o represents a cast-iron chamber, which is secured under the track forthe reception of the drum j, and is provided with a man-hole having acover c', through which access can be had to said drum.

It will be seen that the rotary table or switch herein described is lessliable to be obstructed by ice, &c., and can be operated with lessexpenditure of power than the switch-point shown in my formerapplication.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined to the particularwheel-guiding sections g g h, formed as here shown, said sections beingformed with reference to the construction of the rails with which theswitch is used.

I claim-n l. The combination, substantially as set forth, with the fixedtrack-rails a b, of a fixed supporting-plate located at the point ofdivergence of the rail b from the main rail a, the vertical shaft d,passing through said plate and engaged below the latter with a flexiblecord or chain, whereby said shaft may be rotated by power communicatedfrom a distant point, and a circular table attached to the upper end ofsaid shaft and arranged concentrically thereon, said table havin gsuitable track-sections co-operating with the rails a b, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the main rail and the branch rail, of thecircular table or rotary switch having the curved tread-section g andthe pointed section g', relatively arranged substantially as shown.

3. The combination, with the main rail and the branch rail, of thecircular table or rotary switch having the curved tread-section g andthe pointed section g and the guardsection 71'relatively arrangedsubstantially as shown.

4. The combination, with the main rail and the branch rail, of thecentrally-pivoted table or rotary switch having stops s s', as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 8th day of Feb# ruary, A. D.1889.

JOHN Il. XVILLIAMS.

IVitnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON.

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